Tag Archives: fitspo

Battle ropes are an excellent way to blast fight, burn calories and build muscle! They are becoming a popular piece of equipment in gyms but if your gym doesn’t have a rope you could easily bring your own just about anywhere and anchor it around a pool or post. A basketball goal would be an easy and accessible place to put your rope to good use!

The options are pretty endless on how to get your sweat on with battle ropes but a great way to start is by picking any number of battle rope exercises and doing 20 seconds of work with 40 seconds of rest for 10-20 minutes.

Watch the video below for 27 different ways to get an intense workout with a heavy rope.

Like this:

Let me start by saying I compare myself to others just like you do. But it’s something I actually try not to do. And when I catch myself doing it, this is what I try to remind myself.

1. Nobody is perfect.

2. Photoshop is very real.

3. I’m my own worst critic.

Social media is great and I’m inspired every day by things I see people post online. But it can also do a lot of harm. Because more often than not people are only going to post the perfect picture, not the one that shows off their biggest physical insecurities.

For example this photo below! I couldn’t wait to post this one because I thought I looked fit, strong and happy! I want to inspire my followers to work hard to be fit and healthy, so why not show them all the perfect shots? Until recently, I never really thought too much about how only showing my favorite photos could actually cause a negative feeling instead of a postive one.

Photo Credit: Danielle Bertrand

When you constantly see photos that feature only the best angles, perfect lighting and often times intense editing, especially in magazines, it’s easy to fall into that trap of beating yourself up and wishing you looked like someone else.

I can promise you and would be willing to bet anything, that any Victoria’s Secret Model, professional athlete or World Champion body builder has something that they are insecure about. There is no way that they are completely satisfied being exactly how they are.

And I’m not saying you should be completely satisfied. Working towards improving and making yourself better in all aspects of your life is a good thing. But beating yourself up for being exactly where you are right now is not.

I saw an article by Women’s Health today talking about a new trend on social media called “Body Honesty” and it inspired me to finally be brave and make this post like I have been wanting to. Basically it’s about people sharing more than just the perfect photos. If people share more of the real stuff and less of the fake stuff, I think it could really make a difference.

I don’t have 3% body fat. My thighs touch when I walk. I have rolls on my stomach and I have cellulite, just like 90% of other women. But you know what else I have? Confidence. And so can you.

The comparing stops TODAY. Who’s with me?

Before I get to my photos that I’ve been to embarrassed to share in the past, I first want to give a shout out to Aerie for starting the #AerieReal campaign and putting an end to retouching their photos. And to all of the women that have been brave enough to start something as powerful as #BodyHonesty and #BodyBeautiful, especially Shawn Johnson and Ashley Horner.

Ashley Horner is one of my biggest fitness inspirations and this is an example of a typical photo she posts on her Instagram:

A post shared by Abbey Way (@absolutelyabbey11) on May 18, 2015 at 8:50pm PDT

And here is another example of two photos taken on the same day. In one my leg looks very smooth but in the other you can see that there is cellulite. This is my number one insecurity but it does not define me. It’s something that I know a ton of females struggle with and that’s why I’m sharing this.

I know some people will look at these photos and think that they should never take fitness advice from me because I’m not “perfect.” I also know that these photos could and probably will make people mad, because to some people it wont even look like much.

But the point is, to me it is a big deal! These are my insecurities. I think of myself as someone that has always been an above average athlete and it’s hard for me to accept that I don’t have a 6 pack all year round and virtually no body fat like I used to.

Instead of being scared of what people think of me I’m going to just put my focus on being proud of how far I’ve come and using any negative thoughts as motivation. But I will not continue to compare myself to others. I am happy with just being me and working to be my best possible self. I have complete control over how I want to look and it’s in my hands and nobody elses.

In addition to comparing myself to others, I’ve also definitely struggled with comparing myself to my younger self! Most of my life I was always skinny, infact way too skinny! But I was young and an extremely active athlete with a great metabolism! Never in a million years did I think I would ever want to “tone up” or “be thinner.” In fact, I spent most of my high school years trying to gain weight!

And then Hypothyroidism set in when I was 19 and my body was never the same. Instead of not being able to gain weight my body did a complete switch on me and now because of an underactive thyroid, I am more prone to gaining weight!

But it really isn’t fair to compare my soon to be 26-year old self to my 17-year old self, hypothyroidism or not, it’s part of growing up and everyone goes through it.

So here’s to accepting my body and all that it’s been through! Every mark and every wrinkle or dimple just represents life and we all have different journeys and obstacles.

So next time you look at someone and judge them because of their appearance, remember that you don’t know their story and it’s not your decision to decide how they should look anyway. You don’t know why that person is so extremely skinny or maybe 40 pounds over weight or even 100 pounds over weight! And when you see the perfect models on magazine covers remember that it’s their best photo, with the best lighting and it’s airbrushed to look perfect.

Part of being healthy is being happy and if we can’t be accepting of ourselves or eachother than we can never be fully happy and free!

It’s your choice and your right to look and feel exactly how you want to. Never let society’s messed up standards make you feel like you aren’t good enough, because you are beautiful and you are perfectly you!

For this full body workout all you need is a box or a bench and 21 minutes. When it comes to short workouts like this, it’s important to keep the intensity up so you get the most out of it. I like to do a circuit like this as a form of cardio instead of just running on a treadmill to keep things interesting!

Who doesn’t love Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars? As soon as it comes on I can’t help but dance a little bit! Unfortunately, I have no rhythm or dancing skills but I do know some workout moves…or a few! So I made this “Uptown Funk Workout” for a way to get in a serious workout that’s loaded with a ton of fun! You don’t need a gym or any equipment, just enough space to safely jump around a little bit.

Don’t be fooled by the warmup at the very beginning, if you stick it out until the end of the 4 minute and 30 second workout you are guaranteed to be sweating and your legs will be burning!

Please let me know if you try this out and if you like it! I love music and fitness and I had a blast putting this together for you guys. If you want to see more things like this just let me know and I will get to work on it!

We’ve all been in that situation when there just isn’t enough time to get a workout in, or at least that’s what we think. When it seems like you don’t have enough time to workout, the secret is to just do a non stop workout with whatever amount of time you do have and if you have access to some weights that’s even better.

A strong core improves balance, stability and can help improve your game in any sport. Mix up your regular routine with these 3 core strengthening exercises this week for a stronger core!

Kettle Bell L-Sit Holds

Hold onto the handles of large kettle bells and hold your feet off the ground with your legs as straight as you can. Try 5 sets until failure. If you can’t hold it for at least 15 seconds try to keep popping your feet up off of the ground as needed for at least 30 seconds at a time.

A post shared by Abbey Way (@absolutelyabbey11) on Sep 12, 2014 at 12:16pm PDT

BOSU Ball Kettle Bell Swings

This exercise requires a BOSU Ball and a kettle bell but it works your core, legs and improves balance! With your feet on the flat part of the BOSU ball about hip width apart squat down with the kettle bell being held with straight arms and as you rise out of the squat thrust your arms and the kettle bell to eye level and repeat for 30 seconds at a time.

A post shared by Abbey Way (@absolutelyabbey11) on Sep 11, 2014 at 11:17am PDT

Med Ball Arm Jumps

Start in a plank position with your hands placed flat on the ground just outside of the medicine ball and push up off the ground and balance your hands on top of the medicine ball and keep alternating your hands back and forth from the gorund to the medicine ball. Start off with sets of 30 seconds.

It feels like it has been forever since I’ve posted a new Workout Wednesday Workout! And that’s because I’ve been sidelined by my 5th concussion for the entire summer! But I’m back and ready to keep making some great workouts for you to try!

For this workout you will need a BOSU Ball and a jump rope. A BOSU Ball is the “ball” at the gym that looks like it has been cut in half. I love using them for a variety of different things and with this workout you can sculpt your entire body with one!

– Do 20 seconds of each exercise for 2 rounds.

1. BOSU Ball Squats (Standing On Flat Side)

2. Pushups With Alternating Leg Crunch

3. Forward Rocks

4. Side To Side Rocks

5. BOSU Ball Lunges (With One Foot On The Round Side)

– Do 20 seconds on EACH leg when you get to the lunges.

– After you complete 2 rounds on the BOSU Ball do 100 Double Unders or 100 single jumps with your jump rope.